On November 10 the RA Minister of Defense Serzh Sargsian announced to media
that the request of the Chief Editor of “Zhamanak-Yerevan” daily Arman Babajanian
to apply in his case the RA Law “On Citizens Who Have Not Taken Mandatory Military
Service with Procedural Violations” is not subject for consideration. As it
has been reported, on September 8, 2006 Arman Babajanian was sentenced by the
court of primary jurisdiction to 4 years’ imprisonment for document fraud to
avoid military service; presently his appeal is heard by the court of second
jurisdiction. On October 16 Arman Babajanian addressed the Military Commissariat
of Shengavit community of Yerevan asking for a legal military service exemption.
The request should be considered within a month by a special interdepartmental
commission, headed by the RA Minister of Defense (see details in YPC Weekly
Newsletter, November 3-9, 2006).
Responding to the journalists’ questions after the expanded session of the Academic
Council of the Yerevan State University, the RA Minister of Defense Serzh Sargsian
noted, in particular: “We have a written conclusion saying the commission is
not competent to consider the cases on which the court verdict is already made.
This is certain. The commission cannot be superior to the court, can it? The
mission of the commission is to consider the problems of all those who volunteered
to report to the military authorities” (quoted by “Hayastani Hanrapetutiun”
daily, November 11, 2006).
As YPC was told by the attorney of the Chief Editor of “Zhamanak-Yerevan” Zaruhi
Postanjian, no official response to the request of Arman Babajanian has as yet
been received.
